Tensile strained high percentage silicon germanium alloy finfets

ABSTRACT

A thermal mixing process is employed to convert a portion of a silicon germanium alloy fin having a first germanium content and an overlying non-doped epitaxial silicon source material into a silicon germanium alloy source structure having a second germanium content that is less than the first germanium content, to convert another portion of the silicon germanium alloy fin and an overlying non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material into a silicon germanium alloy drain structure having the second germanium content, and to provide a tensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion having the first germanium content. A dopant is then introduced into the silicon germanium alloy source structure and into the silicon germanium alloy drain structure.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to semiconductor technology, and moreparticularly to a method of forming a semiconductor structure containinga tensile strained high germanium content silicon germanium alloy finportion located on an insulator layer and surrounded by a doped silicongermanium alloy source/drain structure having a germanium content thatis less than that of the silicon germanium alloy fin portion. Thepresent application also relates to a semiconductor structure that isformed by the method of the present application.

For more than three decades, the continued miniaturization of metaloxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) has driven theworldwide semiconductor industry. Various showstoppers to continuescaling have been predicated for decades, but a history of innovationhas sustained Moore's Law in spite of many challenges. However, thereare growing signs today that MOSFETs are beginning to reach theirtraditional scaling limits. Since it has become increasingly difficultto improve MOSFETs and therefore complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) performance through continued scaling, further methods forimproving performance in addition to scaling have become critical.

The use of non-planar semiconductor devices such as, for example,semiconductor fin field effect transistors (FinFETs), is the next stepin the evolution of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)devices. Semiconductor FinFETs can achieve higher drive currents withincreasingly smaller dimensions as compared to conventional planar FETs.

Silicon germanium alloy fins having from 25 atomic percent to 85 atomicpercent germanium are front-up options for 10 nm and beyondtechnologies. Silicon germanium alloy fins having from 25 atomic percentto 50 atomic percent germanium are options only for 10 nm pFET devices.However, 7 nm technology is looking for silicon germanium alloy fins forboth nFET and pFET devices. In some instances (for cost savings and easyprocessing), it is preferred to use the same channel material for bothnFET and pFET devices. To gain the most out of the pFET device, thesilicon germanium alloy has to have a high germanium content. Silicongermanium alloys having a high germanium percentage are not generallysuitable for nFET devices. As such, there is a need for providing amethod and structure in which silicon germanium alloy fins having a highgermanium content can be used for both nFET and pFET devices.

SUMMARY

A thermal mixing process is employed to convert a portion of a silicongermanium alloy fin having a first germanium content and an overlyingnon-doped epitaxial silicon source material into a silicon germaniumalloy source structure having a second germanium content that is lessthan the first germanium content, to convert another portion of thesilicon germanium alloy fin and an overlying non-doped epitaxial silicondrain material into a silicon germanium alloy drain structure having thesecond germanium content, and to provide a tensile strained silicongermanium alloy fin portion having the first germanium content. A dopantis then introduced into the silicon germanium alloy source structure andinto the silicon germanium alloy drain structure.

In one aspect of the present application, a method of forming asemiconductor structure is provided. In one embodiment of the presentapplication, the method includes forming a gate structure straddlingover a portion of a silicon germanium alloy fin having a first germaniumcontent. Next, a non-doped epitaxial silicon source material is formedon a first side of the gate structure and a non-doped epitaxial silicondrain material is formed on a second side of the gate structure, thesecond side is opposite the first side. A thermal mixing process is thenperformed. The thermal mixing process converts a portion of the silicongermanium alloy fin and the non-doped epitaxial silicon source materialinto a silicon germanium alloy source structure having a secondgermanium content that is less than the first germanium content,converts another portion of the silicon germanium alloy fin and thenon-doped epitaxial silicon drain material into a silicon germaniumalloy drain structure having the second germanium content, and providesa tensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion having the firstgermanium content. A dopant is then introduced into the silicongermanium alloy source structure and into the silicon germanium alloydrain structure.

In another aspect of the present application, a semiconductor structureis provided. In one embodiment of the present application, thesemiconductor structure includes a tensile strained silicon germaniumalloy fin portion having a first germanium content. A doped silicongermanium alloy source structure having a second germanium content islocated on one side of the tensile strained silicon germanium alloy finportion, wherein the second germanium content is less than the firstgermanium content. A doped silicon germanium alloy drain structurehaving the second germanium content is located on another side of thetensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a top-down view of an exemplary semiconductor structure afterforming a gate structure straddling over a portion of each silicongermanium alloy fin having a first germanium content that is present ona surface of an insulator layer that can be employed in accordance withan embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 1B is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 1A along vertical plane B-B′.

FIG. 1C is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 1A along vertical plane C-C′.

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 1B after formation of a non-doped epitaxial siliconsource material on a first side of the gate structure and a non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material on a second side of the gate structurethat is opposite the first side.

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 1C after formation of a non-doped epitaxial siliconsource material on a first side of the gate structure.

FIG. 3A is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 2A after formation of a dielectric liner material andan interlayer dielectric (ILD) material.

FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 2B after formation of a dielectric liner material andan interlayer dielectric (ILD) material.

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 3A after performing a thermal mixing process toconvert a portion of the silicon germanium alloy fin and the overlyingnon-doped epitaxial silicon source material into a silicon germaniumalloy source structure having a second germanium content that is lessthan the first germanium content and to convert another portion of thesilicon germanium alloy fin and the overlying non-doped epitaxialsilicon drain material into a silicon germanium alloy drain structurehaving the second germanium content, and to provide a tensile strainedsilicon germanium alloy fin portion having the first germanium content.

FIG. 4B is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 3B after performing a thermal mixing process toconvert a portion of the silicon germanium alloy fin and the overlyingnon-doped epitaxial silicon source material into a silicon germaniumalloy source structure having a second germanium content that is lessthan the first germanium content and to provide a tensile strainedsilicon germanium alloy fin portion having the first germanium content.

FIG. 5A is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 4A after introducing a dopant into the silicongermanium alloy source structure and into the silicon germanium alloydrain structure.

FIG. 5B is a cross sectional view of the exemplary semiconductorstructure of FIG. 4B after introducing a dopant into the silicongermanium alloy source structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present application will now be described in greater detail byreferring to the following discussion and drawings that accompany thepresent application. It is noted that the drawings of the presentapplication are provided for illustrative purposes only and, as such,the drawings are not drawn to scale. It is also noted that like andcorresponding elements are referred to by like reference numerals.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth,such as particular structures, components, materials, dimensions,processing steps and techniques, in order to provide an understanding ofthe various embodiments of the present application. However, it will beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the variousembodiments of the present application may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures orprocessing steps have not been described in detail in order to avoidobscuring the present application.

It will be understood that when an element as a layer, region orsubstrate is referred to as being “on” or “over” another element, it canbe directly on the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon” or “directly over” another element, there are no interveningelements present. It will also be understood that when an element isreferred to as being “beneath” or “under” another element, it can bedirectly beneath or under the other element, or intervening elements maybe present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being“directly beneath” or “directly under” another element, there are nointervening elements present.

Referring first to FIGS. 1A-1C, there are illustrated various views ofan exemplary semiconductor structure after forming a gate structure (15,16, 18) straddling over a portion of each silicon germanium alloy fin14F having a first germanium content that is present on a surface of aninsulator layer 12 that can be employed in accordance with the presentapplication. A gate spacer 20 may be present on sidewalls of the gatestructure and straddling over other portions of the at least one silicongermanium alloy fin 14F.

In the present application, the cross section B-B′ is through one of thesilicon germanium alloy fins 14F illustrating a fin body region, whilethe cross section C-C′ is located on a source side of the structure. Thesource side is located on one side of the gate structure, while thedrain side is located on a side of the gate structure opposite thesource side. The drain side would look similar to the source side.

The exemplary semiconductor structure shown in FIGS. 1A-1C can be formedby first providing a silicon germanium alloy-on-insulator (SGOI)substrate that includes, from bottom to top, a handle substrate 10, aninsulator layer 12, and a silicon germanium alloy layer (notspecifically shown) having the first germanium content; the silicongermanium alloy layer is subsequently patterned forming the silicongermanium alloy fins 14F shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. The handle substrate 10provides mechanical support to the insulator layer 12 and the silicongermanium alloy layer. In some embodiments of the present application,the handle substrate 10 can be omitted.

The first germanium content of the silicon germanium alloy layer can begreater than 40 atomic percent germanium. In one example, the firstgermanium content of the silicon germanium alloy layer can from 50atomic percent germanium up to, and including 80 atomic percentgermanium.

In some embodiments of the present application, the handle substrate 10may comprise a semiconductor material. The term “semiconductor” as usedherein in connection with the semiconductor material of the handlesubstrate 10 denotes any semiconducting material including, for example,Si, Ge, SiGe, SiC, SiGeC, III/V compound semiconductors or II-VIcompound semiconductors. Multilayers of these semiconductor materialscan also be used as the semiconductor material of the handle substrate10. In one embodiment, the handle substrate 10 comprises silicon. Insome embodiments, the handle substrate 10 is a non-semiconductormaterial including, for example, a dielectric material and/or aconductive material.

The handle substrate 10 and the silicon germanium alloy layer may havethe same or different crystal orientation. For example, the crystalorientation of the handle substrate 10 and/or the silicon germaniumalloy layer may be {100}, {110}, or {111}. Other crystallographicorientations besides those specifically mentioned can also be used inthe present application. The handle substrate 10 may be a singlecrystalline semiconductor material, a polycrystalline material, or anamorphous material. Typically, the silicon germanium alloy layer is asingle crystalline silicon germanium alloy.

The insulator layer 12 may be a crystalline or non-crystalline oxide ornitride. In one embodiment, the insulator layer 12 is an oxide such as,for example, silicon dioxide. In another embodiment, the insulator layer12 is a nitride such as, for example, silicon nitride or boron nitride.In yet other embodiments, the insulator layer 12 is a multilayered stackof, in any order, silicon dioxide and boron nitride.

The SGOI substrate may be formed utilizing standard processes well knownto those skilled in the art. In one example, the SGOI substrate can beformed by a layer transfer process. When a layer transfer process isemployed, an optional thinning step may follow the bonding of twosemiconductor wafers together. The optional thinning step reduces thethickness of the silicon germanium layer to a layer having a thicknessthat is more desirable. In another example, the SGOI substrate can beformed by first providing a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Asacrificial silicon germanium alloy layer having a specific germaniumcontent can then be epitaxially formed (i.e., grown or deposited) on thesilicon layer of the SOI substrate. A thermal condensation process maythen be performed to provide the SGOI substrate used in providing theexemplary semiconductor structure shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. Thermalcondensation includes heating in an oxidizing ambient and at atemperature from 800° C. to 1300° C. The thermal condensation causes Gediffusion from the sacrificial silicon germanium alloy into the siliconlayer of the SOI layer thus converting the silicon layer into thesilicon germanium alloy layer mentioned above.

In some embodiments, the thickness of silicon germanium alloy layer isfrom 10 nm to 100 nm. Other thicknesses that are lesser than, or greaterthan, the aforementioned thickness range may also be employed in thepresent application. The insulator layer 12 typically has a thicknessfrom 1 nm to 200 nm. Other thicknesses that are lesser than, or greaterthan, the aforementioned thickness range may also be used as thethickness of the insulator layer 12. The thickness of the handlesubstrate 10 is inconsequential to the present application.

After providing the SGOI substrate, the silicon germanium alloy layer ofthe SGOI substrate is patterned to form at least one silicon germaniumalloy fin 14F having the first germanium content. As is shown, eachsilicon germanium alloy fin 14F that is formed has a bottommost surfacethat is located on a topmost surface of insulator layer 12.

In one embodiment, the patterning process used to define the silicongermanium alloy fins 14F may include lithography and etching.Lithography includes forming a photoresist material (not shown) atop amaterial or material stack to be patterned; in the present application,the photoresist material is formed atop the silicon germanium alloylayer of the SGOI substrate. The photoresist material may include apositive-tone photoresist composition, a negative-tone photoresistcomposition or a hybrid-tone photoresist composition. The photoresistmaterial may be formed by a deposition process such as, for example,spin-on coating. After forming the photoresist material, the depositedphotoresist material is subjected to a pattern of irradiation. Next, theexposed photoresist material is developed utilizing a conventionalresist developer. This provides a patterned photoresist atop a portionof the contiguous layer of hard mask material. The pattern provided bythe patterned photoresist material is thereafter transferred into theunderlying material layer or material layers (i.e., the silicongermanium alloy layer) utilizing at least one pattern transfer etchingprocess. Typically, the at least one pattern transfer etching process isan anisotropic etch. In one embodiment, a dry etching process such as,for example, reactive ion etching can be used. In another embodiment, achemical etchant can be used. In still a further embodiment, acombination of dry etching and wet etching can be used.

In another embodiment, the patterning process may include a sidewallimage transfer (SIT) process. The SIT process includes forming a mandrelmaterial layer (not shown) atop the material or material layers (i.e.,silicon germanium alloy layer) that are to be patterned. The mandrelmaterial layer (not shown) can include any material (semiconductor,dielectric or conductive) that can be selectively removed from thestructure during a subsequently performed etching process. In oneembodiment, the mandrel material layer (not shown) may be composed ofamorphous silicon or polysilicon. In another embodiment, the mandrelmaterial layer (not shown) may be composed of a metal such as, forexample, Al, W, or Cu. The mandrel material layer (not shown) can beformed, for example, by chemical vapor deposition or plasma enhancedchemical vapor deposition. Following deposition of the mandrel materiallayer (not shown), the mandrel material layer (not shown) can bepatterned by lithography and etching to form a plurality of mandrelstructures (also not shown) on the topmost surface of the structure.

The SIT process continues by forming a dielectric spacer on eachsidewall of each mandrel structure. The dielectric spacer can be formedby deposition of a dielectric spacer material and then etching thedeposited dielectric spacer material. The dielectric spacer material maycomprise any dielectric spacer material such as, for example, silicondioxide, silicon nitride or a dielectric metal oxide. Examples ofdeposition processes that can be used in providing the dielectric spacermaterial include, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), or atomic layer deposition(ALD). Examples of etching that be used in providing the dielectricspacers include any etching process such as, for example, reactive ionetching.

After formation of the dielectric spacers, the SIT process continues byremoving each mandrel structure. Each mandrel structure can be removedby an etching process that is selective for removing the mandrelmaterial. Following the mandrel structure removal, the SIT processcontinues by transferring the pattern provided by the dielectric spacersinto the underlying material or material layers. The pattern transfermay be achieved by utilizing at least one etching process. Examples ofetching processes that can used to transfer the pattern may include dryetching (i.e., reactive ion etching, plasma etching, and ion beametching or laser ablation) and/or a chemical wet etch process. In oneexample, the etch process used to transfer the pattern may include oneor more reactive ion etching steps. Upon completion of the patterntransfer, the SIT process concludes by removing the dielectric spacersfrom the structure. Each dielectric spacer may be removed by etching ora planarization process.

As used herein, a “fin” refers to a contiguous semiconductor material,in the present case a silicon germanium alloy, and including a pair ofvertical sidewalls that are parallel to each other. As used herein, asurface is “vertical” if there exists a vertical plane from which thesurface does not deviate by more than three times the root mean squareroughness of the surface. In one embodiment of the present application,each silicon germanium alloy fin 14F has a height that is from 10 nm to100 nm and a width from 4 nm to 30 nm. Other heights and widths that arelesser than, or greater than the ranges mentioned herein can also beused in the present application. Each silicon germanium alloy fin 14F isspaced apart from its nearest neighboring silicon germanium alloy fin14F by a pitch of from 20 nm to 100 nm. Also, each silicon germaniumalloy fin 14F is oriented parallel to each other.

After forming the at least one silicon germanium alloy fin 14F, at leastone gate structure (15, 16, 18) can be formed straddling over a portionof each silicon germanium alloy fin 14F. In some embodiments, each gatestructure (15, 16, 18) is a functional gate structure. By “functionalgate structure” it is meant a permanent gate structure used to controloutput current (i.e., flow of carriers in the channel) of asemiconducting device through electrical or magnetic fields. Although asingle functional gate structure is described and illustrated, aplurality of functional gate structures can be formed straddling overdifferent portions of each silicon germanium alloy fin 14F. In someembodiments, each gate structure is used to provide an n-FinFET.

Each functional gate structure includes a gate material stack of, frombottom to top, a gate dielectric portion 15 and a gate conductor portion16. In some embodiments, a gate cap portion 18 can be present atop eachgate conductor portion 16.

The gate dielectric portion 15 of the functional gate structurecomprises a gate dielectric material. The gate dielectric material thatprovides the gate dielectric portion 15 can be an oxide, nitride, and/oroxynitride. In one example, the gate dielectric material that providesthe gate dielectric portion 15 can be a high-k material having adielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide. Exemplary high-kdielectrics include, but are not limited to, HfO₂, ZrO₂, La₂O₃, Al₂O₃,TiO₂, SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, Y₂O₃, HfO_(x)N_(y), ZrO_(x)N_(y), La₂O_(x)N_(y),Al₂O_(x)N_(y), TiO_(x)N_(y), SrTiO_(x)N_(y), LaAlO_(x)N_(y),Y₂O_(x)N_(y), SiON, SiN_(X), a silicate thereof, and an alloy thereof.Each value of x is independently from 0.5 to 3 and each value of y isindependently from 0 to 2. In some embodiments, a multilayered gatedielectric structure comprising different gate dielectric materials,e.g., silicon dioxide, and a high-k gate dielectric, can be formed andused as the gate dielectric portion 15. In some embodiments, the gatedielectric portion 15 comprises a same gate dielectric material. Inother embodiments, a first set of functional gate structures comprises afirst gate dielectric material while a second set of functional gatestructures comprises a second gate dielectric material that differs fromthe first gate dielectric material.

The gate dielectric material used in providing the gate dielectricportion 15 can be formed by any deposition process including, forexample, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), sputtering, oratomic layer deposition. In some embodiments and when different gatedielectric materials are used in providing the gate dielectric portionsof different functional gate structures, block mask technology can beused. In one embodiment of the present application, the gate dielectricmaterial used in providing the gate dielectric portion 15 can have athickness in a range from 1 nm to 10 nm. Other thicknesses that arelesser than, or greater than, the aforementioned thickness range canalso be employed for the gate dielectric material.

The gate conductor portion 16 of the functional gate structure comprisesa gate conductor material. The gate conductor material used in providingthe gate conductor portion 16 can include any conductive materialincluding, for example, doped polysilicon, an elemental metal (e.g.,tungsten, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, nickel, ruthenium, palladium andplatinum), an alloy of at least two elemental metals, an elemental metalnitride (e.g., tungsten nitride, aluminum nitride, and titaniumnitride), an elemental metal silicide (e.g., tungsten silicide, nickelsilicide, and titanium silicide) or multilayered combinations thereof.In some embodiments, the gate conductor portion 16 comprises a sameconductive material. In other embodiments, the gate conductor portion ofa first set of functional gate structures comprises a different gateconductor material than a gate conductor portion of a second set offunctional gate structures. For example, the gate conductor portion of afirst set of functional gate structures may comprise an nFET gate metal,while the gate conductor portion of a second set of functional gatestructures may comprise a pFET gate metal.

The gate conductor material used in providing the gate conductor portion16 can be formed utilizing a deposition process including, for example,chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), sputtering, atomiclayer deposition (ALD) or other like deposition processes. When a metalsilicide is formed, a conventional silicidation process is employed.When a different gate conductor material is used for gate conductorportions of different functional gate structures, block mask technologycan be used. In one embodiment, the gate conductor material used inproviding the gate conductor portion 16 has a thickness from 1 nm to 100nm. Other thicknesses that are lesser than, or greater than, theaforementioned thickness range can also be employed for the gateconductor material used in providing the gate conductor portion 16.

If present, the gate cap portion 18 of the functional gate structurecomprises a gate cap material. The gate cap material that provides thegate cap portion 18 may include a hard mask material such as, forexample, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and/or silicon oxynitride.The hard mask material that provides the gate cap portion 18 can beformed utilizing a conventional deposition process such as, for example,chemical vapor deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.The material that provides the gate cap portion 18 can have a thicknessfrom 5 nm to 20 nm. Other thicknesses that are lesser than, or greaterthan, the aforementioned thickness range can also be employed as thethickness of the material that provides the gate cap portion 18.

The functional gate structure can be formed by providing a functionalgate material stack of, from bottom to top, the gate dielectricmaterial, the gate conductor material and, if present, the gate capmaterial. The gate material stack can then be patterned. In oneembodiment of the present application, patterning of the functional gatematerial stack may be performed utilizing lithography and etching, asdefined above.

In other embodiments of the present application, and prior to formingfunctional gate structure, a sacrificial gate structure is formedinstead of a functional gate structure. In yet other embodiments andwhen multiple gate structures are formed, at least one of the gatestructures is a functional gate structure, and at least one other of thegate structures is a sacrificial gate structure. By “sacrificial gatestructure” it is meant a material or material stack that serves as aplaceholder for a subsequently formed functional gate structure. In sucha process, the functional gate structure is formed after thesource/drain regions have been formed; in the present application thesacrificial gate structure can be replaced with the functional gatestructure anytime after the exemplary semiconductor structure shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B is formed.

In such an embodiment, the gate dielectric portion of the functionalgate structure that replaces the sacrificial gate structure may beU-shaped. By “U-shaped” it is meant a material that includes a bottomhorizontal surface and a sidewall surface that extends upward from thebottom horizontal surface. When employed, each sacrificial gatestructure may include a sacrificial gate dielectric portion, asacrificial gate material portion and a sacrificial gate cap portion. Insome embodiments, each sacrificial gate dielectric portion and/or eachsacrificial gate cap portion may be omitted. Each sacrificial gatedielectric portion includes one of the dielectric materials mentionedabove for the gate dielectric portion. Each sacrificial gate materialportion includes one of the gate conductor materials mentioned above forthe gate conductor portion. The sacrificial gate cap portion includesone of the gate cap materials mentioned above for each gate cap portion.The sacrificial gate structures can be formed by deposition of thevarious material layers and then patterning the resultant sacrificialdielectric material sack by utilizing, for example, lithography andetching.

After forming the gate structures (functional and/or sacrificial gatestructures), a gate spacer 20 can be formed on exposed sidewall surfacesof the respective gate structure (15, 16, 18) and straddling over otherportions of the silicon germanium alloy 14F. The gate spacer 20 maycomprise a spacer dielectric material such as, for example, silicondioxide and/or silicon nitride. The gate spacer 20 can be formed bydepositing a spacer material and thereafter a spacer etch can beperformed.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2B, there are illustrated various views of theexemplary semiconductor structure of FIGS. 1B-1C after formation of anon-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S on a first side of thegate structure (15, 16, 18) and a non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial 22D on a second side of the gate structure (15, 16, 18) that isopposite the first side. As is shown, the non-doped epitaxial siliconsource material 22S is formed directly on exposed surfaces of thesilicon germanium alloy fins 14F, while the non-doped epitaxial silicondrain material 22D is formed directly on other exposed surfaces of thesilicon germanium alloy fins 14F. Notably, the non-doped epitaxialsilicon source material 22S and the non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial 22D are formed on exposed portions (i.e., topmost surface andsidewall surfaces) of the silicon germanium alloy fin 14F that are notcovered by the gate structure (15, 16, 18) and the gate spacer 20.

The non-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S and the non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material 22D comprise pure silicon. Thenon-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S and the non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material 22D can be formed by a selectiveepitaxial growth (or deposition) process; the term “selective” when usedin conjugation with the phrase “selective epitaxial growth” denotes thatthe epitaxial material is grown only on semiconductor material surfacesnot insulator or conductor surfaces. The terms “epitaxial growth and/ordeposition” and “epitaxially formed and/or grown” mean the growth of asemiconductor material on a deposition surface of a semiconductormaterial, in which the semiconductor material being grown has the samecrystalline characteristics as the semiconductor material of thedeposition surface. In an epitaxial deposition process, the chemicalreactants provided by the source gases are controlled and the systemparameters are set so that the depositing atoms arrive at the depositionsurface of the semiconductor substrate with sufficient energy to movearound on the surface and orient themselves to the crystal arrangementof the atoms of the deposition surface. Therefore, an epitaxialsemiconductor material has the same crystalline characteristics as thedeposition surface on which it is formed. For example, an epitaxialsemiconductor material deposited on a {100} crystal surface will take ona {100} orientation. In the present application, the non-doped epitaxialsilicon source material 22S and the non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial 22D have an epitaxial relationship with the underlying silicongermanium alloy fin 14F.

Examples of various epitaxial growth process apparatuses that aresuitable for use in forming the non-doped epitaxial silicon sourcematerial 22S and the non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material 22Dinclude, e.g., rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD),low-energy plasma deposition (LEPD), ultra-high vacuum chemical vapordeposition (UHVCVD), atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition(APCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The temperature for epitaxialdeposition typically ranges from 550° C. to 900° C. Although highertemperature typically results in faster deposition, the fasterdeposition may result in crystal defects and film cracking.

A number of different sources may be used for the deposition of thenon-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S and the non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material 22D. In some embodiments, the sourcegas for the deposition of the non-doped epitaxial silicon sourcematerial 22S and the non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material 22Dincludes a silicon containing gas source. Examples of silicon gassources include silane, disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane,hexachlorodisilane, tetrachlorosilane, dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane,methylsilane, dimethylsilane, ethylsilane, methyldisilane,dimethyldisilane, hexamethyldisilane and combinations thereof. Carriergases like hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and argon can be used.

The non-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S and the non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material 22D have non-planar surfaces. In someembodiments and as shown, the non-doped epitaxial silicon sourcematerial 22S and the non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material 22D arediamond-shaped. In some embodiments, each non-doped epitaxial siliconsource material 22S within the source side of the exemplarysemiconductor structure is separated from its nearest neighboringnon-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S by a gap. Likewise andin some embodiments, each non-doped epitaxial silicon drain sourcematerial 22D within the drain side of the exemplary semiconductorstructure is separated from its nearest neighboring non-doped epitaxialsilicon drain material 22D by a gap. In such embodiments, the eachnon-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S is non-merged and eachnon-doped epitaxial silicon drain source material 22D is non-merged.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3B, there are illustrated the exemplarysemiconductor structure of FIGS. 2A-2B after formation of a dielectricliner material 24 and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) material 26. As isshown, the dielectric liner material 24 is formed on exposed surfaces ofthe non-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S, the non-dopedepitaxial silicon drain material 22D, the gate spacer 20, and the gategap portion 18. The ILD material 26 is formed on an exposed surface ofthe dielectric liner material 24.

The dielectric liner material 24 may include a dielectric material suchas, for example, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and/or siliconoxynitride. Typically, the dielectric liner material 24 comprises adifferent dielectric material than the gate spacer 20. The dielectricmaterial that provides the dielectric liner material 24 can be formedutilizing a conventional deposition process such as, for example,chemical vapor deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.The dielectric material that provides the dielectric liner material 24can have a thickness from 5 nm to 20 nm. Other thicknesses that arelesser than, or greater than, the aforementioned thickness range canalso be employed as the thickness of the material that provides thedielectric liner material 24.

The ILD material 26 may be composed of, for example, silicon dioxide,undoped silicate glass (USG), fluorosilicate glass (FSG),borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), a spin-on low-k dielectric layer, achemical vapor deposition (CVD) low-k dielectric layer or anycombination thereof. The term “low-k” as used throughout the presentapplication denotes a dielectric material that has a dielectric constantof less than silicon dioxide. In one embodiment, the ILD material 26 canbe formed utilizing a deposition process including, for example,chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), evaporation or spin-on coating. The thickness of theILD material 26 that can be employed in the present application may varyso long as a topmost surface of the ILD material 26 is coplanar with, orabove, a topmost surface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18). In oneexample, the ILD material 26 has a thickness from 80 nm to 500 nm.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4B, there are illustrated the exemplarysemiconductor structure of FIGS. 3A-3B after performing a thermal mixingprocess. The thermal mixing process converts a portion of the silicongermanium alloy fin 14F that is located on a source side of the gatestructure (15, 16, 18) and the overlying non-doped epitaxial siliconsource material 22S into a silicon germanium alloy source structure 28Shaving a second germanium content that is less than the first germaniumcontent. The thermal mixing process further converts another portion ofthe silicon germanium alloy fin 14F that is located on a drain side ofthe gate structure and the overlying non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial 22D into a silicon germanium alloy drain structure 28D havingthe second germanium content. The thermal mixing process also provides atensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion 14P having thefirst germanium content. In some embodiments, the silicon germaniumalloy source and drain structures (28S, 28D) may be diamond-shaped.

The second germanium content of the silicon germanium alloy source anddrain structures (28S, 28D) is typically below 27 atomic percentgermanium. In one example, the second germanium content of the silicongermanium alloy source and drain structures (28S, 28D) can be from 15atomic germanium to 25 atomic percent germanium. It is noted thatsilicon germanium alloys having a germanium content of less than 27atomic percent will not relax during a subsequently performed ionimplantation step. Also, silicon germanium alloys having a germaniumcontent of less than 27 atomic percent ensure that a high strain is puton a portion of the silicon germanium alloy fin 14F that is locatedbetween the silicon germanium alloy source and drain structures (28S,28D).

The silicon germanium alloy source structure 28S includes, from bottomto top, an embedded silicon germanium alloy source portion 30S of thesecond germanium content and a raised silicon germanium alloy sourceportion 32S of the second germanium content. The embedded silicongermanium alloy source portion 30S is located beneath a plane includingthe bottommost surface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18), while theraised silicon germanium alloy source portion 32S is located above theplane including the bottommost surface of the gate structure (15, 16,18). In some embodiments of the present application, the secondgermanium content within the embedded silicon germanium alloy sourceportion 30S is the same as the second germanium content within theraised silicon germanium alloy source portion 32S. In yet anotherembodiment, the second germanium content within the embedded silicongermanium alloy source portion 30S is greater than or lesser than thesecond germanium content within the raised silicon germanium alloysource portion 32S.

The silicon germanium alloy drain structure 28D includes, from bottom totop, an embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 30D of the secondgermanium content and a raised silicon germanium alloy drain portion 32Dof the second germanium content. The embedded silicon germanium alloydrain portion 30D is located beneath a plane including the bottommostsurface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18), while the raised silicongermanium alloy drain portion 32D is located above the plane includingthe bottommost surface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18). In someembodiments of the present application, the second germanium contentwithin the embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 30D is thesame as the second germanium content within the raised silicon germaniumalloy drain portion 32D. In yet another embodiment, the second germaniumcontent within the embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 30D isgreater than or lesser than the second germanium content within theraised silicon germanium alloy drain portion 32D.

As is shown, the tensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion14P having the first germanium content has a first sidewall surface thatdirectly contacts a sidewall surface of the embedded silicon germaniumalloy source portion 30S, and a second sidewall surface that is oppositeto the first sidewall surface that directly contacts a sidewall surfaceof the embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 30D. The tensilestrained silicon germanium alloy fin portion 14P has a topmost surfacethat is coplanar with a topmost surface of both the embedded silicongermanium alloy source and drain portions (30S, 30D). The tensilestrained silicon germanium alloy fin portion 14P is located directlybeneath the gate structure (15, 16, 18) and it functions as the channelregion (or body region) of the FinFET device of the present application.

The thermal mixing process of the present application may also bereferred to as a thermal anneal process. During thermal annealing, Siatoms from the non-doped epitaxial silicon source material 22S and thenon-doped epitaxial silicon drain material 22D diffuse into portions ofthe silicon germanium alloy fin 14F diluting those portions of thesilicon germanium alloy fin 14F providing the embedded silicon germaniumalloy source and drain portions (30S, 30D). Also, and during the thermalmixing, Ge atoms are diffused from the silicon germanium alloy fins 14Finto the overlying non-doped epitaxial silicon source and drainmaterials (22S, 22D) adding Ge into the non-doped epitaxial siliconsource and drain materials (22S, 22D). The added Ge converts thenon-doped epitaxial silicon source and drain materials (22S, 22D) intothe raised silicon germanium alloy source and drain portions (32S, 32D).

The thermal mixing process of the present application can be carried outin an inert ambient such as, for example, He, Ar and/or Ne. The thermalmixing process of the present application can be performed at atemperature from 800° C. to 1350° C. The thermal mixing process of thepresent application may include a furnace anneal, a rapid thermal annealor any other anneal that can form the exemplary semiconductor structureshown in FIGS. 4A-4B. It is noted that if n-type dopants were present inthe silicon germanium alloy fin 14F and the non-doped epitaxial siliconmaterials during the thermal mixing process, such dopants would shortthe device.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5B, there are illustrated the exemplarysemiconductor structure of FIGS. 4A-4B after introducing a dopant intothe silicon germanium alloy source structure 28S (including both theraised and embedded silicon germanium alloy source portions 30S, 32S)and into the silicon germanium alloy drain structure 28D (including boththe raised and embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portions 30D,32D). The silicon germanium alloy source structure 28S containing thedopant can be referred to herein as doped silicon germanium alloy sourcestructure 34S, and the silicon germanium alloy drain structure 28Dincluding the dopant may be referred to herein as a doped silicongermanium alloy drain structure 34D. In some embodiments of the presentapplication, the doped silicon germanium alloy source and drainstructures (34S, 34D) may be diamond-shaped.

The doped silicon germanium alloy source structure 34S has the secondgermanium content and includes, from bottom to top, a doped and embeddedsilicon germanium alloy source portion 36S and a doped and raisedsilicon germanium alloy source portion 38S. The doped and embeddedsilicon germanium alloy source portion 36S is located beneath a planeincluding the bottommost surface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18),while the doped and raised silicon germanium alloy source portion 38S islocated above the plane including the bottommost surface of the gatestructure (15, 16, 18). In some embodiments of the present application,the second germanium content within the doped and embedded silicongermanium alloy source portion 36S is the same as the second germaniumcontent within the doped and raised silicon germanium alloy sourceportion 38S. In yet another embodiment, the second germanium contentwithin the doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy source portion 30Sis greater than or lesser than the second germanium content within thedoped and the raised silicon germanium alloy source portion 32S.

The doped silicon germanium alloy drain structure 34D includes, frombottom to top, a doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy drainportion 36D of the second germanium content and a doped and raisedsilicon germanium alloy drain portion 38D of the second germaniumcontent. The doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion36D is located beneath a plane including the bottommost surface of thegate structure (15, 16, 18), while the doped and raised silicongermanium alloy drain portion 38D is located above the plane includingthe bottommost surface of the gate structure (15, 16, 18). In someembodiments of the present application, the second germanium contentwithin the doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 36Dis the same as the second germanium content within the doped and raisedsilicon germanium alloy drain portion 38D. In yet another embodiment,the second germanium content within the doped and embedded silicongermanium alloy drain portion 36D is greater than or lesser than thesecond germanium content within the doped and raised silicon germaniumalloy drain portion 38D.

The tensile strained silicon fin portion 14P, which is positionedbetween the doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy source and drainportions (36S, 36D), remains undoped. As is shown, the tensile strainedsilicon germanium alloy fin portion 14P has a first sidewall surfacethat contacts a sidewall surface of the doped and embedded silicongermanium alloy source portion 36S, and a second sidewall surface thatis opposite the first sidewall surface that directly contacts the dopedand embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion 36D. The topmostsurface of the tensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion 14Pis coplanar with a topmost surface of both the doped and embeddedsilicon germanium alloy source and drain portions (36S, 36D). Also, thebottommost surface of the tensile strained silicon germanium alloy finportion 14P is coplanar with a bottommost surface of both the doped andembedded silicon germanium alloy source and drain portions (36S, 36D).

The dopant that is introduced into the silicon germanium alloy sourcestructure 28S (including both the raised and embedded silicon germaniumalloy source portions 30S, 32S) and into the silicon germanium alloydrain structure 28D (including both the raised and embedded silicongermanium alloy drain portions 30D, 32D) may be an n-type dopant or ap-type dopant.

1. A method of forming a semiconductor structure, said methodcomprising: forming a gate structure straddling over a portion of asilicon germanium alloy tin having a first germanium content; forming anon-doped epitaxial silicon source material on a first side of said gatestructure and a non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material on a secondside of said gate structure, said second side is opposite said firstside, wherein said non-doped epitaxial silicon source material is spacedapart from said non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material by anentirety of said gate structure; performing a thermal mixing process,wherein said thermal mixing process converts a portion of said silicongermanium alloy fin and said non-doped epitaxial silicon source materialinto a silicon germanium alloy source structure having a secondgermanium content that is less than said first germanium content,converts another portion of said silicon germanium alloy fin and saidnon-doped epitaxial silicon drain material into a silicon germaniumalloy drain structure having said second germanium content, and providesa tensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion having said firstgermanium content; and introducing a dopant into said silicon germaniumalloy source structure and into said silicon germanium alloy drainstructure.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming adielectric liner material on said non-doped epitaxial silicon source anddrain materials and surrounding and in direct contact with physicalexposed surfaces of said gate structure prior to said thermal mixing. 3.The method of claim 2, further comprising forming an interleveldielectric material on said dielectric liner material prior to saidthermal mixing.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first germaniumcontent is from 50 atomic percent germanium to 80 atomic percentgermanium and said second germanium content is less than 27 atomicpercent germanium.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said doped silicongermanium alloy source structure comprises, from bottom to top, a dopedand embedded silicon germanium alloy source portion and a doped andraised silicon germanium alloy source portion, and said doped silicongermanium alloy drain structure comprises, from bottom to top, a dopedand embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portion and a doped andraised silicon germanium alloy drain portion.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein a sidewall surface of said doped and embedded silicon germaniumalloy source portion directly contacts a first sidewall surface of saidtensile strained silicon germanium alloy fin portion, and a sidewallsurface of said doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy drain portiondirectly contact a second sidewall surface of said silicon germaniumalloy fin portion.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein a topmost surfaceof said silicon germanium alloy fin portion is coplanar with a topmostsurface of both said doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy sourceand drain portions, and wherein a bottommost surface of said silicongermanium alloy fin portion is coplanar with a bottommost surface ofboth said doped and embedded silicon germanium alloy source and drainportions.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said introducing said dopantcomprises ion implanting an n-type dopant.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein said silicon germanium fin is formed by: providing a substratecomprising a silicon germanium alloy layer having said first germaniumcontent; and patterning said silicon germanium alloy layer to providesaid silicon germanium alloy fin.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid gate structure is a functional gate or a sacrificial gate structurethat is replaced with a functional gate structure after said thermalmixing process. 11.-20. (canceled)
 21. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid silicon germanium alloy source structure has a bottommost surfacethat is in direct physical contact with a first portion of a topmostsurface of said insulator layer, and said silicon germanium alloy drainstructure has a bottommost surface that is in direct physical contactwith a second portion of said topmost surface of said insulator layer.22. The method of claim 1, wherein said silicon germanium alloy fin is asingle crystalline silicon germanium alloy, and said non-doped epitaxialsilicon source material and said non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial are both composed of single crystalline silicon.
 23. The methodof claim 1, wherein said non-doped epitaxial silicon source material andsaid non-doped epitaxial silicon drain material have non-planarsurfaces.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said non-doped epitaxialsilicon source material and said non-doped epitaxial silicon drainmaterial are diamond-shaped.
 25. A method of forming a semiconductorstructure, said method comprising: forming a gate structure straddlingover a portion of a silicon germanium alloy fin having a first germaniumcontent; forming a non-doped epitaxial silicon source material on afirst side of said gate structure and a non-doped epitaxial silicondrain material on a second side of said gate structure, said second sideis opposite said first side, wherein said forming said non-dopedepitaxial silicon source and drain materials comprises a selectiveepitaxial growth process; performing a thermal mixing process, whereinsaid thermal mixing process converts a portion of said silicon germaniumalloy fin and said non-doped epitaxial silicon source material into asilicon germanium alloy source structure having a second germaniumcontent that is less than said first germanium content, converts anotherportion of said silicon germanium alloy fin and said non-doped epitaxialsilicon drain material into a silicon germanium alloy drain structurehaving said second germanium content, and provides a tensile strainedsilicon germanium alloy fin portion having said first germanium content;and introducing a dopant into said silicon germanium alloy sourcestructure and into said silicon germanium alloy drain structure.
 26. Themethod of claim 25, wherein said selective epitaxial growth does notform any epitaxial silicon material on physically exposed surfaces ofsaid gate structure.